In the most unexpected casting news we’ve heard for a while, it was revealed yesterday that Jamie Foxx would be playing Electro in the Marvel Cinematic Universe‘s Spider-Man 3. This instantly opens up a whole host of questions, especially if the actor is directly reprising his role from The Amazing Spider-Man 2, which it seems is the case.
Not only does it lend weight to the theory that WandaVision‘s introduction of the multiverse will affect the franchise’s entire slate of Phase Four projects, but it could also be the first step towards a live-action Spider-Verse movie, the seeds of which were technically planted when J.K. Simmons showed up as J. Jonah Jameson in Far From Home after playing the newspaper magnate in Sam Raimi’s original trilogy.
Foxx could be portraying an entirely new version of the character, but that seems the least likely scenario by far. If it is indeed The Amazing Spider-Man 2‘s Electro – and sources close to WGTC say it is – then there’s every chance that Evan Peters’ mysterious role in WandaVision could yet be revealed as the X-Men’s Quicksilver, and the MCU’s multiverse could swiftly set a precedent for actors to reprise their characters from franchises that aren’t part of Marvel Studios canon.
Deadpool is another former Fox property set to eventually pitch up in the MCU, while Michael Keaton’s Vulture will be jumping across to Sony for a cameo in next year’s Morbius, showing that different studios can combine universes on the big screen. The crossover potential is almost limitless, really, and Spider-Man 3‘s Electro could open the floodgates to even more unexpected casting additions or lay additional groundwork for a live-action Spider-Verse blockbuster. Something that’s been frequently rumored ever since the 2018 animated hit quickly gained a reputation as one of the best superhero movies ever made.